Why Some Countries Are Poor and Others Rich

Exercise Is ADHD MedicationMental exercises to build (or rebuild) attention span have shown promise recently as adjuncts or alternatives to amphetamines in addressing symptoms common to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Building cognitive control, to be better able to focus on just one thing, or single-task, might involve regular practice with a specialized video game that reinforces "top-down" cognitive modulation, as was the case in a popular paper in Nature last year. Cool but still notional. More insipid but also more clearly critical to addressing what's being called the ADHD epidemic is plain old physical activity. This morning the medical journal Pediatrics published research that found kids who took part in a regular physical activity program showed important enhancement of cognitive performance and brain function. Earlier this month, another study found that a 12-week exercise program improved math and reading test scores in all kids, but especially in those with signs of ADHD.

Where did English come from? - Claire BowernThere are two other TED-Ed lessons related to this topic: How languages evolve and How did English evolve? (a lesson that fills in some of the details that we omit here due to the fact that the focus of this lesson was further in the past). There is still a great deal of debate about Indo-European, most importantly about the location of the homeland. To read more about this debate, there are classic books by Mallory and Renfrew, as well more recent works by Anthony.Literacy In The Digital AgeEditor’s Note: Teaching Channel has partnered with Student Achievement Partners on a blog series about digital literacy tools and their effective use by educators. The majority of the tools mentioned in this post and the four earlier posts in our series, transform the student experience from passive consumers of information to active creators of content, employing multiple English Language Arts standards and skills along the way. We firmly believe this ought to be the new norm in the modern classroom. Kids have access to information; we must teach them how to navigate a world constantly evolving where content is at their fingertips. The traditional application of ELA isn’t enough for future-ready learners.

Income inequality and why our cities are a vital part of the solutionPARIS, WASHINGTON, DC – We live in turbulent times, and popular discontent with the status quo is mounting. The reasons for popular frustration vary from country to country, but the common thread everywhere is a growing sense that the economy is rigged in favor of the few. Indeed, the gains from economic growth are increasingly going to the very highest earners.IDEA International Dialects of English ArchiveFor all you dialecticians, actors, linguists, and just plain language enthusiasts, let’s see if you can identify the home country (or, for the United States, Canada, and China, the state/province) of the following subjects from their accent or dialect. Take a listen, make your best guess, and then click the link under each audio clip to be taken to the sample you just heard. On that sample page, you will be able to read the biography of the subject, hear the person’s unscripted speech, and read the transcription. 1.Audio Player

10 lifesaving websites for ESL teachersLisa has asked me for some recommendations regarding useful sites for EFL teachers and I’m happy to make a little compilation of the places I visit most often to find ideas, inspirations, betimes lesson plans if I feel exceptionally lazy (The Liberation of the Garden Gnomes by Peter Vahle is just shiny!) and share them with you. So, here we go – my ten favourite websites:Wealth DividesIs income inequality improving? Unfortunately, no. Nationwide, income inequality is greater now than it was before the great recession.

This Is What A World Map Looks Like When Scaled According To Population SizeWhere in the world did Australia go?! A new cartogram by Redditer TeaDranks rescales the world’s countries according to population size instead of geographic area. Reconstructing maps based on different variables can be a powerful tool for understanding the world we live in.100 English Synonyms to Expand Your Vocabulary – Espresso EnglishA synonym is a word with the same or a similar meaning as another word. For example, the words big and large are synonyms. Buy and purchase are also synonyms – although we tend to use “buy” in a more informal context, and “purchase” in a more formal context. Keep in mind that some synonyms in the list below might not be “perfect” synonyms – there may be slight differences in meaning and connotation. For example, the words smart and wise.